Creeper World 4
a game by | Knuckle Cracker |
Platform: | PC (2020) |
Editor Rating: | 8/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 7.8/10 - 8 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Best Casual Games, Strategy Games, Best RTS Games, Ragdoll Physics Games, Physics Puzzle Games, Creeper World Series |
With a few years between releases, Creeper World 4 has finally arrived and come to fundamentally change the dimension in which you experience the Creeper. With years of RTS advancements since the original Creeper World, games like Company of Heroes, Stellaris, and even Knuckle Cracker’s own Particle Fleet have enhanced how RTSs are played and more importantly, what is expected from them. That being said, Creeper World 4 brings the series into a 3D world and succeeds in catering the gameplay to that new dimension nearly as seamlessly as Mario did with his first foray to the N64.
A Brave New World
The series has encountered longstanding praise for its intuitive design and complex enemy engagements at every release. This sequel, while compounding the tools, mechanics and items used to destroy and defend against the onslaught of the titular Creeper, has one other trick up its sleeve—another dimension.
In movements and flow similar to the usually surprising and unwanted spread of lava in Minecraft, the new 3D creeper brings with it a whole new set of challenges. And, true to their form, the developers offer equitable defense and balance to those challenges.
(Don’t Fear) the Creeper
That is, in some ways, misleading. The Creeper this time around is an extremely formidable enemy and the variety of ways to defeat it when first booting up is somewhat overwhelming. Whether it’s an elaborate airforce, anti-creep generator, cannon, mortar, sprayer, or even the systems of defense through a further broken-down ore system, towers focused on energy collection, pylons and the newly formed rift lab—it’s an infinitely complex game. However, with practice and a lot of addictive hours the gameplay flows just as smoothly as the purple goo coming to destroy that last bastion of humanity. With a ton of campaign missions, side objectives, levels and the ever-present danger of a Creeper onslaught similar to the tension of Reapers in Mass Effect 3, Creeper 4 cranks everything up to eleven, but does so with the care of a great development team set on making all these varied systems fair and fun. \
Play Your Way
Perhaps one of the greatest additions to the Creeper World series and indeed enhanced wonderfully in this iteration along everything else—the level creator. Built around the Creeper community this mode allows players to create and play maps from any other player. Just like Mario Maker you have a slew of mind-bending, challenging, ridiculous and complex maps at your disposal. Honestly, without the campaign and extra maps present in Creeper World 4 at launch from the developers, just having this mode with all the amazing levels the community are making would be enough for the cost. With an already heavily replayable game, this just puts it on the next level.
Creeper World 4 is easily the best of the series. With a development team focused on listening to the community while at the same time challenging them with new mechanics, this is a sequel done right. Only held back by a slightly weaker story and graphics, though improved, still not on par with other RTS games on the market, Creeper World 4 is a perfect entry to the series.
Because, to be honest, after playing this one, it’ll be tougher to step back in time and miss out on wonderfully developed new systems.
Pros
- Phenomenal community map system
- 3D environment fundamentally changes gameplay for the better
- Rewarding campaign and learn as you go mentality
- Great ambient soundtrack
Cons
- Graphics still not on par with modern comparisons
- Story less ambitious in scope
- Tough learning curve
Download Creeper World 4
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP